311 Fan Spotlight! Meet Dan Mayotte!

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One thing I truly love about the 311 fan community is how many people you can meet and not even realize you are friends with them on Facebook and Twitter. Over the summer I went to the Jones Beach show and met this guy while we were tailgating. I had to talk to him because he was wearing a Celtics jersey, and since I’m from Boston, I had to comment. It was only later on after the show that I realized we were friends on Facebook and that I followed him on Twitter! So without further ado, I introduce you to Dan Mayotte!

Dan was born in Lowell, MA and raised just across the border in the lovely state of New Hampshire. He grew up spending his summers wake boarding on Lake Winnipesaukee and winters skiing in the White Mountains. Dan was lucky enough to grow up in a family that was very close to each other. He has two brothers and a sister (who he says don’t always understand his passion for 311, but they appreciate and accept his individuality). While Dan may call New England home he has also lived in a variety of other places like Michigan, North Carolina, and Montreal. He recently moved back to New Hampshire after spending four years in Seattle working for an aeronautics company.

Dan began his love for 311 back in July 1995, when he became a “Blue Album Baby.” It was his summer before he started high school and he said it was all of his “favorite kinds of music perfectly coagulated into one.”  He then went back and found Music and Grassroots, and he says it has been “A symbiotic relationship ever since.”  Dan stopped counting the amount of shows he has been to somewhere around 21, because he said at that point the number didn’t matter to him anymore. It was more about the experiences. One of the many shows he has seen that he says holds a special place in his heart is the second indoor show on the first cruise. “It was the closest to a transcendental experience as I’ve ever had.”  Dan has been to all of the major events in the past four years, and he says each one just keeps getting better. The one that sits at the top is the most recent cruise. He says those four days carried so many different experiences because of all the people he had met previously, that it was like “a culmination of everything I’d experienced up to that point. The bar has been set pretty high.”

Being from New England, Dan is what he likes to call a “shameless Boston sports fan.”  He can usually be seen wearing a Celtics jersey (to which he’d like to shout out to Paul, his “hetero 311 life mate” who just happens to be a die-hard Lakers fan).  Dan has a ton of hobbies, such as reading, cooking, and boating. He also has a passion for crafting and says that, “One thing that truly sets me apart and folks who read this might recognize me for is my 311 clothing creations.” One of these unique creations can be seen in his picture above. Dan has learned how to make clothing where he uses electroluminescent wire to make elements of the outfit light up, strobe and illuminate with the music at shows! How cool is that? Dan says that no matter what the piece he is creating, “Each project takes my love for 311 and transfers it into something that I can wear and display out into the world.”

Every fan has a connection to 311 for one reason or another, and there is always that one song that really sparks a love within. For Dan, since he’s been listening to 311 for half of his existence like a lot of us, he said it is hard to choose one because 311 was basically the soundtrack for his teen and adult life. However, if forced to pick just one he says Strong All Along would be it, “Only because it had the most dramatic impact on my development as an individual and what shapes my own personal ethos.” His clothing creations represent things he learned from the song, such as “Let your body go, just don’t follow the letter. Do what you feel the more absurd the better.” Dan said some of the clothing items he has made are “pretty damn absurd”, but if you ask me they stand out and show his unique personality! Something fun to know about Dan – his brothers and friends call him Father McKoss because his first vanity plate said “FRMKOS” (From Chaos). He also hates mayo and chocolate. (Chocolate?? Really Dan? Alright I’ll let that one slide! He he.)

The band has clearly had an enormous impact on Dan and has shaped him into the person that he is today, and they still influence him every day. When I asked him what he would say to the band if he could say one sentence, Dan replied, “Is thank you a sentence?” He was of course joking and instead decided on this stellar sentence – “Your longevity is reaching rarified air, how long do you conceivably and realistically plan on continuing?” If any of the 311 guys happen to read this and care to share their answer, please do comment! 🙂

Not only has the band impacted Dan but the community of fans have as well. It is thanks to 311 that he has met “some of the most amazing and wonderful people and afforded me the ability to express my true character. It’s celebrating music and meeting those people that have given me the opportunity to blossom and project the core of my essence.” Dan would personally like to say thank you to the following people who have come into his life: “Paul, Sonya, Chris, Will, The Bakers, Bobby J., Cheryl, Greg C., Kristen and all the NY peeps, Tom F. and the Chi Crew, Mike & Jane, Greg & Lauren, John D., Kyle and the CO crazies, Big Keith, Jay & Jill, and all the other wonderful folks who have enriched my life in ways I may never be able to fully express.”

In tradition, I leave you with Dans personal message to the 311 community of fans:

“I find that lately a lot of people seem more concerned with being a ‘311 fan’ than being a fan of 311, especially on the internet. Don’t put the cart before the horse. Be passionate about the music and the rest will come to you. And that’s all I have to say about that.

Well said Dan! Hope everyone has enjoyed meeting Dan. I have to say, the vocabulary and way he weaved words in his answers were a joy for me to read! Thanks for participating Dan! 🙂